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| Mate / de-mate device for taking the Shuttle on and off the B-747, which transports
the orbiter from landings at Edwards Air Force Base. Only the yellow parts may touch
flight hardware. |
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| The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is "only" 525 feet tall, but it is the
world's third largest building area-wise, with room inside for more than two Pentagons,
four and a half Empire State Buildings, etc. There is room on the roof for a 70,000-seat
stadium plus parking. Each of the stripes on the flag is as wide as a freeway lane. |
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| The Crawler. Electrically powered with diesel generators on board. Top speed about
1.25 miles per hour. Uses about 160,000 gallons of fuel per mile. Each tread weighs over a
ton. |
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| The Crawler transports the shuttle and booster stack along this road from the VAB... |
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| ...to the launch pad which is about 4 or 5 miles away, and typically takes about 6 or
7 hours to travel to it. |
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| At Pad 39B, Discovery is enclosed behind protective scaffold access door. Only the
tops of the external fuel tank, and solid rocket boosters (SRB's) are visible. |
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| Pad 39B showing where flame jets shoot out of openings |